Artificial intelligence in the diagnosis and management of arrhythmias.

The field of cardiac electrophysiology (EP) had adopted simple artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies for decades. Recent renewed interest in deep learning techniques has opened new frontiers in electrocardiography analysis including signature identification of diseased states. Artificial intelligence advances coupled with simultaneous rapid growth in computational power, sensor technology, and availability of web-based platforms have seen the rapid growth of AI-aided applications and big data research. Changing lifestyles with an expansion of the concept of internet of things and advancements in telecommunication technology have opened doors to population-based detection of atrial fibrillation in ways, which were previously unimaginable. Artificial intelligence-aided advances in 3D cardiac imaging heralded the concept of virtual hearts and the simulation of cardiac arrhythmias. Robotics, completely non-invasive ablation therapy, and the concept of extended realities show promise to revolutionize the future of EP. In this review, we discuss the impact of AI and recent technological advances in all aspects of arrhythmia care.

[Anatomic pitfalls and challenges of His bundle pacing]. / Anatomische Fallstricke und Herausforderungen der His-Bündel-Stimulation.

Long-term right ventricular apical pacing is known to be deleterious for left ventricular function leading to the clinical picture of heart failure with all the possibly associated complications, ranging up to death of the affected patient. This led to the ambition to find alternative pacing sites such as pacing at the right ventricular outflow tract or septal pacing. An attractive alternative is selective His bundle pacing with the goal to use the physiologic His-Purkinje system in order to enable intrinsic conduction and physiologic myocardial contraction. To find and identify the His bundle poses a challenge for operators. For exact endocardial mapping, knowledge of the anatomic landmarks is as important as the ability to evaluate local electrocardiograms. The goal of this review is to characterize the anatomic landmarks to help physicians to identify these precise targets for His bundle pacing.

Noninvasive 3D Mapping and Ablation of Epicardial Premature Ventricular Contractions From the Endocardial Aspect of the Left Atrial Appendage.

Ablation is an established treatment for ectopy originating from the left ventricle (LV). We report on a case of noninvasive 3-dimensional mapping locating the origin precisely in the epicardial LV summit area. However, after failed attempts from LV and epicardially, ablation via the left atrial appendage was finally successful. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).